Means for producing tubular fabrics



E. INGHAM.

MEANS FOR PHODUCING TUBULAR FABmcs.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, 1919.

mos, l Patented Jim. 17,1922.

E. INGHAIVI.

MEANS FOR PRODUCING TUBULAR FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, 1919.

1,403,785, Patented Jan. 17, 1922e 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

llllllllllllllllllllll E. INGHAIVI.

MEANS FOR PRODUCING TUBULAR FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. 1919.

1,403,785. Patented @11.111922 4 ISHLETS-SHEET 3.

E I N G H A M.

MEANS FOR PRODUC IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII S.

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I @www/t@ Ingham MANUEL INGHAI, 40I' SAN DIEGO,

ANB `FOB PRODUCING TUBLAB FABBIQS.

speciation oftettenratenf; l Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

Application Med Ilroli 27, 1919. Serial No. 285,573.

To all whom. it may concern:

. ent invention contemplates the fa-bric in in efinite lengths.

Be it known that L'lEiuaNtmL INGHAM, a

subject of the -King of Great Britain, residat San Diego, inthe county of San Diego andState of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Producing Tubular Fabrics, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for weaving tubular fabrics'and has special utility when applied to the weaving of such fabrics from coarse, hea material such as is emplo ed in the pro uction of sacking.

his invention is in the nature of a further development of that covered by my prior Patent No. 1,328,794, dated January 20, 1920, and copending application Serial Number 279,511 filed February 27, 1919.

While the apparatus disclosed in the above mentioned patent and application is intended for use in producing curved fabrics, U-shaped in cross section, the presrovision of ete tubular he invention consists therefore in so supporting the arts of the mechanism as to permit ofa c osed tubular fabric, formed in accordance with my above mentioned application, to be continuously removed from the machine without the necessity for cutting the saine.

In order that the invention may be readily understood reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and in which: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine showing means for su porting the needle and associated parts so tliat the completed tubular fabric may be continuously removed;

Fig. 2 is a centra-l longitudinal section on an enlarged scale showingmy `improved means for supporting -the needle and associated parts;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the needle and form shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a front view ofsuch form;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail illustrating means for reducing a com I my improved thread guide;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section through the upper end of such gulde;

Fig. 7 is a transverse section on the line 7--7 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of 'ist the arrow' j Fig. 8 is a sectional plan view through some of the parts shown 1n Fig. 7;

a plied for driving the ma -and such' a longitudinal se Fig. -9 is` a fragmentary, sectional sideelevation of parts of the mechanism shown 1n Figs 7 and 8;v

F1g. 10 is a perspective' view showing the appearance of the tubular fabric as it leaves the machine;

Fig. l1 isa transverse' section on the line -1l'.11 of Fig. 1;

F g. 12 is a fragmentary, vertical, longitudinal section through part of the supportin lframe; and

g. 13 is a sectional plan view of the machine substantially on the line 13 -13 of Fi. '1. l

eferring to the drawings in detail, 'the machine is mounted on a suitable base 1. Adjacent one end of thisbase is secured an upright framework consisting of pedestals 2 united by webs 2, and adjacent the other end of the base 1 is mounted a pedestal v3. il main shaft 4 is journaled in suitable bearings in the pedestals 2 and 3 and carries at one end a pulley 5 to which ower may be chine. To the s aft 4 is secured a pair of mutilated beveled vgears 6 and 7 which mesh with a beveled pinion 8 secured to the lower end of a short vertical shaft 11 carrying at its upper end a beveled pinion 9 which meshes with a similar pinion 10 secured to a sleeve hereinafter described.

' A xed rigid arm or shaft 12 is securely clamped at its rear end in split sockets 13 carried at the upper ends of the pedestals' 2, shaft extends forwardly nearly the full length of the machine thus constituting a cantilever structure.

Journaled on this shaft 12 is a sleeve 14 'having a rear portion 14'l to which the pfibnion 10 is rigi ly secured, the section 14 ing united with the section 14 by means of its forward' end t e sleeve 14 carries a circular oscillatory needle 15 similar in all respects to the needle shown in :detail in my prior applications. .A

A grooved collar 16 issecured to the sleeve 14 and in the groove of such collar works the bifurcated end-of a lever 17 pivoted at 18 to a fixed bracket and having its depending lower end 19 engaging a cam grooved in a cam member 20 which is secured to the shaft 4.

The end of the shaft 12 projects forwardly beyond the needle 15 and on such forwardlyv projecting end is rigidly mounted arable coupling 13. At

the form around which the fabric is woven, This form consists of a circular ring or disc 21 clamped to the shaft by means of a set screw 22. This ring is disposed adjacent the needle as clearly shown'in Fig. 2 and is of substantially the same diameter. It constitutes the foundation around which the weft thread is laid by the needle and encloses the loop-interlocking mechanism., This mechanism is identical with that shown in detail in Figs. 19 to 24 of my'co-pending applicationSerial No.279,511, and comprlses, as its essential feature, a reciprocatory hook 15, operated by a pair of cams 15", and projecting slightly beyond the periphery vof the ring 21. This hook serves to catch the loops of weft thread and interlock them to forma continuous seam, as fully described in said above mentioned application. In the present instance, however, the cams 15b are mounted on the sleeve 14, since the shaft 12 i's fixed, and does not turn.

Secured to the extreme forward end of the,

shaft 12 is an elongated block 23 held by means of a set screw 24 and preferably having rounded ends as indicated at 27 in Fig.- 4.

Supported by the ring 21 and block 23 is the body 25 of the form, preferably consisting` of sheet metal. By reference to the drawing it will be readily understood that this body when in position is circular at the rear end and flattened and elongated laterally at its front end giving rise to the 'configuration shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

A short tubular thread guide 28 of suitable shape is secured to the needle and the weft thread 23 passes to the needle through this tube from the flared mouth 29 of a thread guide 31, the upper end 30, of which is preferably swiveled as indicated in Fig. 6. It will be understood that as the needle oscillates, the swiveled end 30 of the thre-ad guide .swings fromlside to side as may be required to properly` accommodate the pull of the thread. The weft thread 33 enters the lower end ofthe guide tube 31 from a fixed reel 32 as sho-wn in Fig. 1.

34 designates the warp threads which, as in my prior application Serial Number 279511. pass through a tension device 36 and a heddle. mechanism 37 such threads being fed from fixed reels (not shown).

The'heddle mechanism is operated as in said prior application by means of ratchet mechanism 39 actuated by a lcam 40 on the shaft 4. The tension and heddle mechanisms which are entirely free from the arm 12 each comprise two separable halves and are supported on pedestals 25W- 36b and 3737b, respectively. The sections of the tension mechanism pedestals are adapted to slide in an arc-shaped groove 42 and the sections of the heddle mechanism pedestals are adapted to slide in an arc-shaped groove 43, these g grooves being formed in a suitable supportcenter. This center is the pivot pin 45 shown in Fig. 13 on which pin is pivoted a pair of operating handles44which are suitably connected to the sections of the tension and hed-4 dle mechanisms as described in my prior application. -V

It will b e understood that as the fabric 35 is woven by the oscillating 'needle 15 around the form 25 it is drawn off of the front end of such form by means of the take-.up mechanism now. to be described. Referring particularly to/Figs. 1,7 and 8, it will be seen that this take-up Vmechanism comprises a guide roller .46, over which the fabric passes, such guide roller being supported near the upper end of a pair of standards 47. Also journaled in these stand- 'ards is a take-up roller 48.l on which the fab- 4which is operatively connected to a similar gear 51 by means of an-intermediate pinion 50. This construction renders it possible to vary the speed of the roller48 by taking olf two of the gears and substituting others of different relative diameters. The gear 51 is journaled on a stud carried by one of the standards 47 and vhas formed integrally therewith a ratchet wheel 52. This is adapted to be engaged by a pawl 53 pivoted to a reciprocating block 54 suitably mounted in guideways in the standard 47 and-.actuated by means of a lever 55 pivoted at 56 and caused to vibrate by means of a cam 58 se.- cured to the shaft 4. rlhe end of the lever 55 is preferably rounded asy shown at 55El in Fig. 9 and fits into a notch or pocket in the block 54, The lever is actuated in yone direction by means of a spring 57. A locking pawl 59 pivoted to the standard 47 and urged against the ratchet 52 by means of a spring 60 serves to .prevent backward rotation of the take-up roll 48.

Fig. 10 shows the appearance of the .tubular fabric as it leaves the machine. This fabric is designated in its entirety by thc reference numeral 35 and has on its under side a longitudinal seam 35I1 formed by the w interlocking of the loops of weft thread as described 1n my prior application Serialy Number 279,511.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a curved form, of a cantilever arm for su porting the same,

means for placing warp t reads around said form, and means for weaving weft thread across the warp and around said form, saidsaid' form and needle are `both wholly car- .shaft adjacent the needle.

5. The combination with a curvedform, of -means for supporting warp threads therearound, an oscillatory needle adapted to lay weft thread across the warp, a'isupporting shaft, a sleeve surrounding said shaft, to

which sleeve the needle is rigidly secured, and means for actuating the said sleeve to oscillate the needle.

w6. The combination witha lcurved form, of means for supporting Warp threads therearound, an oscillatory needle adapted to lay weft thread'aoross the Warp, a supporting shaft, a sleeve surrounding said shaft, to which sleeve'the needle is rigidly secured, and means for imparting both an oscillatory and an axial movement to vsaid sleeve.

7. The combination with means for supporting warp threads, of an oscillatory circular needle adapted to -lay weft Ythread across the same, and a fixed thread guide having its mouth disposed adjacent the needle and adapted to deliver` weft thread thereto.

8. The combination with 'means' for supporting warp threads, of an oscillatory needle adapted to lay weft thread across the same, .of a fixed thread guide having its mouth disposed adjacent lthe needle and adapted to deliver weft thread thereto, said thread guide having its end swiveled so that it may-swing from side to side as the needle oscillates. t

9. The combination with a curved form and means including a circular oscillatory needle for Weavingra tubular fabric therearound,'of Atake-up mechanism adapted to draw such fabric from the form as it is woven, said mechanism comprising a takeup roller and pawl and ratchetpmechanism ,for operating the same.

l0. TheF combination with an elongated curved form, substantially circular at one end, of an armv extending axially from the center of such end of said form for yvholly supporting the same, 'means supported by said arm for laying threads around the said circular end of said form and uniting them to produce a complete tubular fabric, and

'means for drawing the finished fabric along said form and off the other end thereof, as.,

it is produced.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EMANUEL IN GHAM. 

